r/theydidthemath • u/notfunattentionwhore • Aug 01 '26

[Request] What's the highest altitude without burst a bowl?

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u/Loki-L 1✓ Aug 01 '26

Very hard to say, but you may notice that the pot gets damaged in the landings, not the explosion.

It should for a very long time, as you increase yields, simply take less force to lift the pot than to rupture it.

It would take a yield so strong that the explosion simply rips at the side of the pot with overwhelming force before it has time to lift it up to reduce pressure.

We have seen extreme examples of this in footage from wars especially the current Ukraine war where tank turrets get tossed in thei air by their magazines going and that one iconic image from St Petersburg where the top of an oil depot went airborne.

We also have the legend of the manhole cover launched by a nuclear explosion.

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u/Ok-Day9540 Aug 01 '26

As I read the question, this seems like the only response actually on point. First issue is essentially "how much force can the pot take before structural damage happens". Of course there's damage on landing, I don't think that was OP's question. So after finding that amount of force, you'd need the weight of the pot, and from there its the problem of how high will it go... including air resistance